Former Bosnian Serb General Ratko Mladic Dies in Hague Prison at 84

Ratko Mladic, the former commander of Bosnian Serb forces who was sentenced to life imprisonment for genocide and other war crimes, died on Thursday at a hospital in The Hague, United Nations officials said. A relative confirmed the report and said Mladic's son, Darko, was traveling to the Netherlands.

Mladic had been in custody since 2011 after years as a fugitive and was convicted by the UN tribunal for crimes committed during the Yugoslav wars, including the 1995 massacre in Srebrenica that killed more than 8,000 Bosnian Muslim men and boys. The tribunal sentenced him to life in prison in 2017.

"Today, a major war criminal died, the criminal of the Balkans," said Munira Subasic of the Mothers of Srebrenica group, expressing mixed feelings about the death and noting ongoing denial of the crimes by some Bosnian Serbs.

Mladic, born in 1942 in a village near Sarajevo, rose to prominence as a military officer during the Bosnian war, overseeing the siege of Sarajevo and the establishment of detention camps. He was known for his nationalist rhetoric and was defiant during his trial, reportedly shouting at judges.

He was captured in May 2011 near Belgrade after years in hiding. While in custody, he suffered several strokes and was hospitalized multiple times. His death marks the end of a high-profile case that has been described as a key step toward accountability for the conflict's victims.